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Breathe Into Tension (Drift Off)

Melli O'Brien

00:00

00:00

Meditation

4.5

Duration

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Breathe Into Tension (Drift Off)

In this meditation, we'll practice a deep breathing exercise that will help release tension in the body and prepare us for sleep.

As you prepare for this sleep

meditation, just really making sure

that you're in a comfortable sleeping

posture so that you can drift off

to sleep during the meditation

or perhaps shortly after it ends.

And as you really get cozy in

your bed or under the covers, and

you can allow your eyes to close.

And let's take one deep

breath together now.

So in through the nose.

And slowly out through the mouth.

And just letting your body relax

and let go with the exhale.

So you've done your work for today.

So see if you can really give yourself

permission to trust that the day

unfolded, however it needed to unfold,

and that tomorrow will be a new

day, but for right now, you're here.

So there's no place else that

you need to be, there's no more

problems you need to solve.

Just giving yourself permission

to just surrender into sleep.

And feeling the flow of your breathing.

How the body is being gently

rocked and cradled by that

gentle rhythm of the breath.

And with every exhale, releasing a

little bit more tension in the body.

Just letting the body relax into

a state of calm, ease, and rest.

And just feeling the goodness and the

coziness of just being with yourself

right now in stillness, a sense of not

needing to do anything else for the

day and maybe feeling the warmth or the

coolness of the covers on your skin.

And perhaps even connecting to the sense

of safety that your sleep space provides.

Your bed, your room, the covers, your

pillow, and the stillness and quiet.

You're safe now.

So your mind and your body can relax.

And with each exhale,

releasing a little more deeply.

Just letting go of worries and problems.

Drifting off into a

place of ease and peace.

And to help calm our

bodies even more, we're.

Kind of practice some full, deep

body breathing and with each and

every exhale, we'll really practice

feeling the body letting go.

Specifically feeling like the breath

is moving into all those areas of

the body that are still holding

some tension that are still maybe

caught in the momentum of the day.

So we breathe into them.

We give them some comfort,

some love and some kindness.

And we invite those areas to be at ease.

Letting them know that there's

nothing else they need to do today.

That it's okay to let go.

That we're safe now.

So just beginning by taking

one really deep, slow breath.

In through the nose, filling

up the lungs, the whole body.

And then on the exhale through the nose or

the mouth, releasing any lingering tensi.

And you can just continue now to take a

few breaths like that, full body breaths.

Expanding.

And then releasing.

So there's nowhere else you need to be.

Just feeling this one breath.

Letting it soothe your nervous system.

Let it envelope you

with goodness and love.

And with each exhale, let it

take you deeper into surrender.

Just feeling every part of the

body relax with each exhale.

The head.

The face.

The shoulders and the chest.

The hands and arms.

The belly.

And a whole lower body.

And just continuing to take

these deep, full body breaths.

And if the mind wanders off into

thoughts, you just smile at those

thoughts with a soft awareness.

Just letting them exist in

the spacious sky of your mind.

They're just thoughts,

little mental flickers.

So just watch them from this dreamy space.

Your whole body can be relaxed

even while the mind is thinking.

So when you find yourself caught

up in these thoughts, just bringing

that attention back to this

breath and back to this moment.

Each exhale, drawing you more deeply into

a state of relaxation, into a state of

ease, into a state of total letting go.

And as you continue to tune into your

body, into your breathing, you may notice

that there are areas of the body that

still feel a little tense or agitated.

So just take a moment to feel

why those areas might be still

tense or agitated, the parts of

you that haven't fully let go.

And we're just going to practice

breathing specifically into those areas.

So as the breath comes into the

body, just feeling it moving into

those areas, enveloping them in a

warm blanket or with a soft touch.

And just whispering to

them mentally, It's okay.

It's okay to let go.

And with each exhale, inviting

that tension just to soften,

even if it's just a little bit,

just as much as it's willing.

So we're meeting attention with

kindness, love and a soft awareness.

We're not forcing it and

there's no judgment here.

So just breathing kindness and goodness

into all these areas of tension.

And with each exhale, inviting

them to soften just a little

more, if they're willing.

And just taking a moment to feel the

goodness that comes with taking care

of yourself in this way, of holding

yourself with kindness and compassion.

Life often comes with so many struggles,

things we need to think about and

worry about throughout the day.

But right now you're here.

And this is your chance to rejuvenate.

So just telling all of those parts

of the body, all of those parts

where there might be any remaining

tension that it's okay to let go.

And reminding yourself that you're doing

great and tomorrow will be another day,

another opportunity to start fresh.

And just continuing to breathe into

those areas of tension if they're there.

And if there's no particular part of the

body that's calling your attention, no

particular parts where there's tension,

it's okay to just let the breath come back

to its own natural rhythm and just feeling

the flow of your breath and feeling the

heaviness of the body just sinking and

settling into this surface beneath you.

Just feeling the coziness of your

sleep space and the goodness of

having this time to yourself.

And giving yourself permission, if you

care to, to just begin drifting off into

another world, into sleep and dreams.

Allowing a sense of total

release and letting go.

And if any thoughts move through the

mind, just giving them a kind of a

loving in a smile and just returning

your focus back into your body.

Feeling a sense of ease and relaxation

that comes with every exhale.

And following that exhale over

and over again until eventually

you drift off to sleep.

And as we come to the end of our sleep

meditation, just knowing that you can come

back to this at any point you need to.

You can listen to it as

many times as you'd like.

And you can always just rest in your own

stillness and silence now, letting each

breath relax you more and more deeply.

And great job.

And I wish you a pleasant

evening and a deep sleep.

Thank you for your practice and take care.

Similar to this

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